The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Bone cement is commonly used for bonding implants and prosthetics to bone and for other purposes. Bone cements are often made by mixing multiple ingredients, such as a liquid monomer and a polymeric powder, typically under a vacuum. Once the ingredients are mixed and the bone cement achieves the desired viscosity, the bone cement is delivered to the desired surface (e.g., the bone). Various bone cement mixing and delivery implements have been proposed for facilitating this process.
Although these conventional implements have been adequate for intended uses, they suffer from certain disadvantages. For instance, some containers allow harmful vapors to escape. Furthermore, it can be difficult to ensure proper proportions of the ingredients have been added to the container, and an improper ratio of ingredients can compromise the properties of the bone cement. Additionally, these implements can include a relatively large number of separate components, making them somewhat awkward to use. For instance, ingredients manually decanted from pouches or other containers can cause spills resulting in a messy and potentially dangerous waste of ingredients.